Embry and Lilly: It's Complicated
by Carlee Adison
Summary: A cousin of my story Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two. It's Complicated focuses in on Embry and his teenage imprint Lilly, and well . . . It's complicated. Both hopelessly in love with the other and unaware that their feelings are reciprocated, Embry and Lilly face countless struggles on the road to happiness. WARNING: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ QUIL AND CLAIRE! READ THAT FIRST
1. It's Complicated

**Author's Note: YAY! I UPDATED! I FINALLY, FINALLY UPDATED! I know it's been MONTHS since I finished part II but trust me when I say that plot developing for Embry and Lilly and deciding how I wanted this first chapter to go was a lot of work! Also, I've been ridiculously busy. I promise the next updates will not be so far apart. That being said, welcome to Embry and Lilly: It's Complicated. Fair warning-If you have not read my other story, Quil and Claire: The Perfect Two, you probably shouldn't read this yet. I suggest reading that one first, as starting with this would not only spoil the other story, but also really confuse you. If you really hate Quil and Claire and insist on reading this story, I cannot stop you and will try to make this story as easy for you to understand as possible. I mean, you may still feel like you're missing a few details but—Oh, I'm rambling. You probably want to actually start reading the story now. ENJOY!**

* * *

_Lilly_

Gray sky, but no rain. Not atypical weather for mid-March in the Olympic Peninsula. Spring hadn't yet shown its face, and the breeze blowing off of the Pacific cut through my coat like a knife does butter. I shivered, fisting my hands in my pockets. My normally ghost-white face was almost certainly rosy and flushed. I knew that I should probably head inside before dark, or I'd really freeze. My best friend, Eliza, was expecting me. After the events of the last six months, showing up more than five minutes late for anything could only mean I'd been captured by vampires, or worse. I couldn't keep her waiting.

But I also couldn't find the will to leave the beach. There was something almost comforting about the coldness. About the quiet and the loneliness. Just me and the crashing of the waves.

Of course, being at the beach brought up another emotion, too. Longing. And a memory . . .

_Happy New Year, Lilly, _Embry whispered, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. My hand, which had been resting under his, tingled as his fingers slid along the skin of my knuckle. I shivered, though I certainly hadn't been cold while sitting next to Embry. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. And then . . .

And then nothing. We talked about Quil and Claire, and school, and the weather, and it was as if nothing ever happened. And I'm sure for Embry, it was like nothing ever _did. _A New Year kiss on the cheek hardly meant a thing to him. I was his best friend, basically his younger sister. He wasn't romantically interested in a girl not even old enough to drive a car. He probably hadn't even thought of it once since then.

And I . . . Well, I was in love with him. One of my best friends, who was also a werewolf, and technically sixteen years older than me.

Sound complicated? Just wait, there's more.

I let out a deep breath, staring out at the ocean. A mist had settled over the beach, making it easy to believe that real magic existed there. It wasn't difficult to envision fourteen werewolves weaving through the forest, on the lookout for vampires. For crying out loud, a mermaid could come dancing out of the ocean and I probably wouldn't even give it a second look. When you grow up surrounded by werewolves and vampires, you find that very little surprises you anymore.

I met Embry when I was only nine years old. He found me—or rather, Renesmee found me—lost and afraid in the forest a couple of miles away from my house. It was around the time my parents split, and I was upset. Needing to be alone, I ran off into the forest. Of course, being a nine year old girl, I was almost immediately hopelessly lost. I probably would have died out there, had Renesmee and Embry (who'd been looking for Jacob at the time) not come across me. Embry was the first best friend I'd ever truly had. Then through the pack, I'd met Eliza, Claire's little sister who was just a few months older than me. I can't imagine what my life would be like without her. Don't get me wrong, Eliza had her fair share of faults, one of them being her hesitation to trust people, but that had never mattered to me.

When asked, I told people I had two best friends, but that wasn't true. Eliza was my best friend. Embry was . . . _Embry._

My heart beat furiously just thinking about him. I'd begun secretly crushing on him last June and the feelings had grown significantly since then. Now I couldn't look at him without feeling weak in the knees. How pathetic was that?

My phone beeped. I let out another deep breath and pulled it from my pocket. _1 New Message from Eliza: Are you alive? _

I wasn't exaggerating about the kidnapped by vampires thing.

_Yeah, on my way, _I replied, turning away from the ocean and leaving the beach behind me.

_Is this really you? _Eliza texted back, _What's the password?_

_Camille is an ugly whore, _I typed, the corner of my mouth pulling up into a smile.

_See you soon :) Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_

Oh yeah, I kept forgetting . . .

It was March 15th. I was fifteen years old today.

My mother joked that I was actually an adult and trapped in the body of a teenager. Maybe I'd find that funny, if I couldn't name several people off the top of my head who actually were.

The walk from the beach to the Uleys' house was short. When Eliza had lived there, we would often race to the beach, laughing and shoving each other as we went. That was before last August, when out of the blue, Eliza and Claire's father had returned to the reservation. Now they lived in northern La Push, where the houses were a little newer and a little bigger.

But on some nights, nights like this one, Eliza would go over to her aunt and uncle's to babysit her cousin, Amelia. Normally, babysitting Amelia was Claire's responsibility, since she was the one with a car and all, but tonight Quil didn't have to run patrols, so they were going out. If, of course, one could consider hooking up in Quil's truck "going out." According to Eliza, ever since New Year, when Quil moved in with the Youngs, the two had been even more obnoxiously in love than usual. Although, Eliza hardly had room to criticize anymore. She'd started dating Brady Fuller at the same time and since then I'd barely seen Eliza outside of school without Brady by her side. For a girl who'd denied even somewhat liking Brady for five months, Eliza sure couldn't stand to be away from him. _Not _that I was bitter. I was happy for Eliza. I was happy for Claire, too.

I was happy for every perfect happy couple who were just so perfect and happy.

I was just so, _so _happy.

Definitely no bitterness.

None.

The sun was sinking into the horizon when I reached Sam and Emily's house. Rather than throw a party, I'd volunteered to help Eliza babysit. I'd never cared much for birthday parties, and the only person who I'd really want to be there had to work tonight.

Once all of the vampire drama settled down, Jacob went back to insisting that the pack find jobs (a little hypocritical, if you ask me, considering that Nessie forbid him from getting a job of his own. Talk about obnoxiously in love couples…) and Embry didn't have much of a say in the matter. Over the past three months, we discovered that Embry actually wasn't very good at having a job. He'd gotten fired from a restaurant in Forks, kindly asked to leave his job at the library (apparently, getting into a screaming fight with a soccer mom was grounds for termination) and was now employed at the Forks Movie Theater, which had opened last year. He was hoping to find a better, more adult job, like Quil and Nolan had with some construction company in Port Angeles, but with no luck.

He'd only started working at the theater two weeks ago, and had been unable to get the night off. Part of me was crushed. Being away from Embry was like a gaping hole in the middle of my chest. Part of me was relieved. Being _around _Embry was like a knife constantly being driven through my heart.

_Stop thinking about him, it's girls' night, _I reminded myself.

The front door swung open. "You're here! Finally!" Eliza exclaimed, running over to me, "Melia is driving me _crazy._"

"I can hear you!" Amelia, who was ten years old with the maturity of a seven year old and the wit of a twenty-seven year old, yelled, appearing in the doorway. Although they were cousins, Eliza looked much more like my relative than Melia's. That was, of course, because Amelia and Eliza weren't actually related at all. She'd been adopted by the Youngs as a baby. Over the course of our friendship, we'd often been mistaken as sisters. We both had curly blonde hair, although my curls weren't quite as loose and my hair was more whitish than hers. In addition, we shared the same light skin, although she at least could be considered fair, whereas I was just plain pale. I was also taller, and my eyes were dark blue while hers were green, but I could see where the confusion came from.

As an only child, Eliza was the closest thing to a sister I'd ever had. When we were younger, we would actually pretend that we were long-lost sisters who had miraculously found each other, completely ignoring the fact that we were only five months apart in age and being sisters was physically impossible. I was nostalgic for those days.

"Happy Birthday!" Eliza cheered, ignoring her whining cousin and pulling me in for a hug. "Sam and Emily are already gone. Come in, we're going to watch a movie."

"I think my socks are frozen to my feet," I shared as we walked up the front steps and into the house.

"Happy Birthday, Lilly," Amelia said as I passed her, "Where's Embry?"

"What?" I asked, feeling suddenly nervous. It was an innocent enough question, but I knew how perceptive Amelia could be.

"Where's Embry?" Melia repeated. "You two don't hang out as much together anymore. Is it because of Travis?"

My breathing stopped. Remember what I said about there being more complications? Amelia was referring to Travis Newton, my boyfriend.

I wish I could come up with some grand explanation for why I was continuing to date Travis when I was clearly in love with someone else, but I can't. I dated Travis because he was a distraction. Because I wanted so badly to like him the way he liked me. Because I needed to push my dreams of Embry aside and not wait around for a relationship that would never happen. Because I was selfish.

Travis had wanted so badly to take me out on my birthday, and I'd told him no. That I had plans with Eliza. So instead, he was taking me out to dinner tomorrow. And I'd have to spend an hour and a half sitting across a table from him and feeling awkward.

I really, really needed to break up with Travis. I knew that. It wasn't right to string him along. But I couldn't bear to break his heart, either. Talk about a lose-lose situation.

I had to admit, though, it did unsettle me that Amelia noticed the connection between Embry's recent absence and Travis's presence. If Travis was around, Embry was nowhere to be seen, and the other way around. There was obviously some tension there, though I had no idea why. I understood that Embry was protective of me, but Travis was just a sweet guy. And I got that Travis was probably jealous when I hung out with other guys, but he _knew _that there was nothing romantic between Embry and I (at least not for Embry).

"Hello? Earth to birthday girl?" Eliza snapped in front of my face.

"Hmm?" I asked, falling back to the real world.

"Are you going to stand outside in the cold all night?" I was still standing on the top step, and Eliza stood a foot away from me. I hadn't even noticed her approach.

"Oh. No." I shook my head, trying to clear away all thoughts of Embry, and passed through the threshold of the Uley house. Although Eliza's new house was bigger, I would always have a soft spot for this one. It was cozy and warm and very much like a home should be.

"So what do you want to watch?" Eliza asked, plopping down on the couch. "I personally vote Magic Mike. Channing Tatum is delicious."

"Isn't he like forty or something? That movie is old."

"He will always be delicious," Eliza laughed. "Don't tell Brady I said that."

Brady and Eliza had been dating for the past two months and had been absolutely inseparable since then. And I mean _inseparable_. Today was the first time outside of school in the past three weeks that I had actually seen Eliza without Brady at her side. To say he was completely in love with her was a massive understatement. Brady had been obsessing over Eliza since the summer and had nearly driven himself half crazy getting Eliza to admit that she loved him too. And I was happy for them, I was, but it was nice to have this night alone with Eliza. Seeing her and Brady together was just a harsh reminder that there were some couples who actually were head over heels for each other.

"No, I don't want to watch Magic Mike. What about something else?"

"The Vow? 21 Jump Street? Step Up? Dear John? She's the—"

"No Channing Tatum," I told her firmly.

Eliza pouted and plopped down on the couch. "You're lucky it's your birthday. What _do _you want to watch, then?"

_Anything that can take my mind off of Embry for more than two seconds…_

I knew that I should just talk to Eliza about how I was feeling. She was my best friend, I was supposed to be able to tell her anything. But the idea of actually admitting out loud that I was in love with Embry was ridiculous. The only person I had ever admitted that to was… Claire. Of all people. That day at the barbeque way back in July I had told her how I felt about Embry. She promised to keep it a secret. But I never mentioned it to her again, and she'd never asked. That was the good thing about Claire, she didn't pry.

"Um," I contemplated for a moment.

"How about Red Riding Hood? I like when the sexy blonde runs away with the werewolf," said a familiar male voice. Brady. He was standing in the threshold of the house, the front door now wide open and letting in the cool evening wind.

"Brady! I told you this is girls' night!" Eliza chided, although I noticed she couldn't completely mask her giddiness at his arrival. She crossed over to him and started trying to shove him back through the door. "No boyfriends allowed!"

Brady tried to look innocent, "Is that what you said? Oops. Hey, Lilly, happy birthday!"

"Hi Brady," I said, smiling somewhat insincerely. Brady was one of my favorite people in the world, he really was, but I didn't think I could spend another night of his and Eliza's cute couple moments.

"Out!" Eliza demanded.

"Come on, Angel. Let me stay, I'll behave!"

"You never behave," Eliza reminded him, a sly smile on her face.

"Well, I'll give it the old college try."

"Brady," Eliza sighed. I could see in her eyes that she didn't want to send him away, but she was trying to do whatever she thought would make me happy.

"He can stay," I consented, somewhat begrudgingly.

Brady nor Eliza noticed my animosity.

"Thanks, Lilly! I love ya!"

"Did you really refer to Amanda Seyfried as the sexy blonde?" Eliza frowned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You're one to talk, Mrs. Tatum," Brady retorted, bouncing a finger off of her nose.

"Were you _spying _on us?"

"Accidental overhearing, maybe," Brady grinned.

"I hate you!"

"Yeah, right."

Oh great, more of Eliza and Brady's cute couple bickering.

"So… are we going to watch a movie or what?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound cranky.

They both turned to me."Yeah," they said in almost perfect synchronization. Then they looked at each other and smiled. It was impossible to not be happy for them when they did adorable things like that.

"Please, not a movie with lots of kissing. That's gross," Amelia stated. I'd nearly forgotten that she was here, that Eliza and I were supposed to be babysitting her.

"I agree, Melia," I said, stroking her hair and smiling down at her. Most ten year olds were completely obnoxious and agitating, but Amelia was as precious as ever. Perhaps more perceptive than she used to be, but precious all the same. "Kissing movies _are _gross."

"I feel like Claire and Quil live in a kissing movie. I'm glad Claire doesn't live here anymore. Her and Quil kiss a lot. Who wants to see that? Besides, now I have her bedroom. It's my room now," she chattered animatedly. Eliza laughed.

"But you miss me living here, don't you Melia?"

"No. You were messy. And you snored."

"I did _not_!" Eliza screeched.

"You're a very cute snorer," Brady chuckled. Eliza punched him lightly on the arm.

Eventually we decided on some typical zombie movie that had Amelia scared in about ten minutes. She went to her room to play with her dolls, and I nearly joined her. The movie wasn't bad, but Eliza and Brady cuddling on the other side of the couch was a tad distracting. All I wanted was to take my mind off of romance for an hour and a half, but apparently that was just too much to ask for.

I had almost managed to immerse myself in the movie—a zombie was hiding in the main character's back seat and he had no idea. Idiot.—when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I stated, eager to get away from the lovebirds.

"Thanks, Lilly," Eliza said, although she didn't take her eyes off of Brady. I wondered if I'd ever be accustomed to seeing her so openly displaying her affection.

"Wonder who it is," Brady questioned aloud, sounding like he already was sure of the answer. I didn't think to be suspicious till it was too late and I was opening the door.

My heart lurched. Of course. _Of course _just when I was maybe getting close to distracting myself.

Embry. Smiling. Holding flowers. "Happy Birthday, Lilly!" He said, pulling me into his arms and hugging me tightly. Being around Embry was like finally breathing oxygen after hours of holding my breath. Ironic, considering that being around him was also the reason I couldn't breathe in the first place.

"Hi, you're crushing me," I told him, even though it wasn't true. If I hugged him any longer I probably wouldn't have let go at all.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Embry released me, holding up the flowers.

"Lilies. Really, Embry?" I asked.

He smirked and shrugged.

"I thought you had to work tonight? What are you doing here?"

"I had a little . . . _disagreement _with the manager."

"A disagreement?" I questioned, stepping aside to let him in the house.

"Well, I splashed coke in his face. And got fired."

"Embry!"

"I was provoked! Besides, I hated that job anyway. Trying to make me work on your birthday, yeah right." He placed the flowers in my hands and shut the door behind him.

"What are we going to do with you?" I giggled, heading to the kitchen to find a vase for the lilies.

"I guess you'll just have to sell me in exchange for a few loaves of bread," Embry replied, his voice much closer than I had originally thought. I jumped.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," I chided. When I turned around he was less than a foot away from me. My face felt hot. He was so tall. So handsome. So . . . infuriating.

"Are we finishing the movie or what?" Eliza asked, popping her head into the kitchen.

"What are you guys watching?"

"I don't remember the name. Some zombie movie."

"Zombies are ridiculously unrealistic," Embry scoffed, making his way into the living room.

"Says the werewolf," Eliza noted.

"Whatever," he huffed, "Lilly, you coming?"

No. No. No. I wanted to leave. I would rather run as far away from this house as possible. Bury my head in the slushy remains of snow on the sidewalks. Drown myself in the ocean. Hide in the tallest tree in the deepest part of the forest. I did not want to be around Embry and pretend like everything was absolutely normal. I did not want to sit on a couch wedged between the world's happiest new couple and the guy I wanted to kiss more than anything. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't—

"Yeah, I'm coming."

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**This chapter was kind of a shorty, I'm expecting the other ones to be longer. See you all next time! PLEASE REVIEW! Love you, my sunshines. **


	2. Keeping Secrets

**A/N: Look at me go! Another chapter in a week and a half! Granted, most of it was written over Thanksgiving Break, but who cares? Point is, another chapter! And after this chapter thing are going to really start picking up so prepare yourselves! **

* * *

_Embry_

"Welcome home, sweetheart," Mason greeted drily upon my arrival at my house. My house where he definitely should not be. His ass was plopped on _my_ couch and he was eating a bowl of _my _Cocoa Puffs . Not cool.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mason? Didn't I change the locks?"

"Did you?" Mason smirked. "Whatever."

"Don't you have your own home or something now? Somewhere else you can be?"

"Carl is over there right now," Mason said agitatedly.

"So?" I asked, not in the mood for pleasantries.

"So that's why I'm here," Mason replied obviously, scooping up another spoonful of _my _cereal.

Up until a few months ago, Mason had been crashing on mine and Quil's couch here upon Claire's suggestion (and Jake's command) after his mother kicked him out so we could all "learn to get along" or something. Yeah, like that had happened. Quil couldn't stand Mason and I didn't blame him. Mason was cocky, rude, disrespectful, obnoxious, and just a general asshole. The cherry on top of the cake was that he was also totally in love with Claire. When his mother had finally allowed him to return to his real home, I couldn't have been more pleased. That was at the same time that Quil moved out to go live at Claire's and I had gone from having two roommates to my own place literally overnight. Although Quil was my best friend, and I hadn't minded living with him, having the house to myself these past few months had been so peaceful. It would have been perfect, if Mason didn't keep inviting himself over every time his mother's new boyfriend was over at his house.

"How about you just go home. Maybe you'll annoy Carl so much he'll stop coming around."

"Someone's in a sour mood. Let me guess, you just hung out with Lilly?"

My hands balled into fists. "None of your business, Fox Boy," I said, purposely using the nickname I knew he hated.

Mason just nodded, my defensiveness answer enough to his question. "Want to talk about it?"

"Like I would talk to you about _anything _having to do with Lilly," I sneered, snatching the bowl out of his hand skillfully without spilling any milk on the floor.

"If you can't be open and honest with your blood, who can you be honest with?" Mason questioned, frowning at the cereal bowl.

"We are hardly considered blood, Fox," I said, rolling my eyes. Yes, _technically _Quil and I shared a father, and that father had a half-sister who was Mason's mother, but that didn't mean that Mason would ever, _ever _be my family.

"Whatever. If you want to act like a little wounded bitch, then go to your room and pout like a bitch. If you want to win over your underage imprint, though, you're going to have to find your balls and be a little more aggressive. She's fifteen, not five, she can handle a little romantic attention."

I pictured snapping my arm forward and punching the shithead right in his stupid mouth, but figured that wouldn't do much…

But still, so tempting. Who was this seventeen year old kid to tell me how to treat my imprint? My perfect, beautiful, smart, kind, caring, curious, thoughtful, considerate, loving, pure, beautiful imprint. Did I mention beautiful?

_Painfully beautiful. Those navy blue eyes. Oh God help me._

_Snap out of it. _The longer I allowed myself to daydream about Lilly, the more painful it became.

How could I have known that my sweet little heaven-sent Lilly would get a boyfriend when she was fourteen? Lilly had never seemed like the type. Hell, Claire had never even kissed a boy before Quil! I'd stopped myself from having a romantic relationship with Lilly because she was too young, because it wouldn't have been morally right, but that sure as hell didn't stop that little Newton bastard from swooping in.

I hated that kid almost as much as I hated myself.

_Screw Travis, just tell her how you feel. Who cares if she's only fifteen? Eliza's only fifteen, and she's hardly as mature as Lilly! Fuck everyone and what they think, just go after her. Be with her. Show her how loved she is. _

That all sounded great in theory and all, but that was all it was: theory. Lilly had a boyfriend, sure, but that didn't mean she was ready for an imprint relationship. _How will she ever really know if she loves me if I'm the only love she ever knows? She needs to experience the world. _

Except, I didn't want her to love other guys. I didn't want her to experience the world without me. I loved her, and I didn't want to share. I didn't want her kissing other boys, even if they were only silly high school boyfriends who would never mean anything in the long run.

I didn't want to tie Lilly down, but I couldn't set her free either.

"Not in the mood for a comeback or something?" Mason asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows.

"Get off of my couch, go home," I snapped.

"Time for you to mope about Lilly in private?" He retorted.

"It's complicated, me and her… alright? Lay off."

"You know what, if I wanted to talk to a condescending jackass I would have went over to see Quil. I'm right and you know it."

"Leave."

"Lilly's actually a smart girl. One has to wonder how she doesn't realize how pathetically hopelessly in love with her you are. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if her own boyfriend has figured it out by now."

"I swear to God I will kick you so hard you'll cough up your own balls if you do not get the fuck out of my house." I was _done _talking about Lilly.

"Jesus, okay. You're no fun when you're pissy anyway, which, in case you were curious, is all the time. If you need me, I'll be at Danny's."

"And why would I ever need you for anything?" I scoffed.

"Forget it. Just go sit in the corner and be miserable. Why do I even bother?" He stood from the couch and walked out without another word.

Finally, a little peace and quiet.

Just me and my thoughts . . .

_Wait, fuck._ My thoughts were full of Lilly.

How was it that the one person I couldn't stand to be away from was also the one person it hurt more than anything to be around?

_I hate love._

* * *

_Lilly_

_ I hate love._

Why couldn't I just be in love with Travis instead? He was my boyfriend. He was my age. He was human.

"I think I love you, Lilly."

And he was in love with me.

"Oh," I breathed, taking a drink of my water to spare myself from having to say more. This dinner was awkward enough without Travis professing his love for me. He'd been holding my hand over the table ever since we sat down and rather than feel sparks, like I should have, all I could think about was how sweaty his hand was and how I wanted to pull mine away and wipe it down with my napkin.

"Uh… what do you think about that?" Travis asked uncertainly. It was then that I realized that I'd been drinking my water for far too long to be casual.

I set it down on the table, my hand shaking slightly.

_I think I love you too._

_I think that you're a great guy._

_I think it's sweet that you feel that way about me._

_I think that maybe it's a little fast._

_I think we should spend some time apart._

_I think it'd be better for both of us if we didn't continue to see each other._

"I think that we should break up," I blurted out, surprising myself.

Travis stared at me with utter shock.

Did I really just say that? _Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. _

Except, it's not like it wasn't true. I _did_ want to break up. I had wanted to break up almost since the day we had started dating. I had just never been mean enough. Or kind enough. I wasn't sure which.

"What?" He asked, releasing my hand for the first time since we sat down.

"I'm sorry, Travis," I muttered, feeling supremely awkward.

"But, our four month anniversary is coming up."

"I know." I couldn't look at him.

"Is it because of what I said? Because we could take things slower if you feel uncomfortable . . ."

"It's not that, Trav. It's just . . . _I _can't be in a relationship. It's nothing wrong with you, and you're a great guy and," tears were gathering in my eyes, "I wish that I could feel the same way about you as you do about me. I wish I could see you as more than a friend but . . . I mean, some girl will be so lucky to have you and I just don't deserve—"

"Don't give me that speech, Lilly," Travis said gently, "We're great together. Everyone says so. Don't you like going out with me?"

"We have fun Travis, we do . . . but this relationship is never going to go anywhere and I just can't pretend it will anymore." The first of the tears trickled over.

"Aw, don't cry, Lilly. I don't like seeing you sad."

"Why are you being so sweet?" I cried, "I'm breaking up with you."

"I guess I'm just a nice guy. You know, there aren't many of us, Lilly," Travis teased lightheartedly, taking my hand in his again.

"I know. That's why I have to stop being selfish. You need to have a girlfriend who can love you back. You're such an amazing guy, you shouldn't have any trouble with that."

"If I'm such a great guy who is so easy to love, then why are you breaking up with me?" I could tell he was trying to sound casual, but I recognized rejection when I saw it. "There isn't… another guy, is there?"

I was careful not to answer _too _quickly and give myself away, "No. I tried to like you, I really did. I wanted so badly to feel something for you. I wish that I did. But I realized recently that I don't think I am capable of seeing you as more than a friend. I do love you, Travis. I'm just not . . . in love with you."

Travis let out a shaky breath, "Well, that stung a little." He looked away.

"I'm sorry," I breathed.

"I know you are, Lilly. It still hurts, though. I kinda wish you would have told me before I bared my soul and all."

"I'm sorry," I said again, unsure what else there was _to _say.

"I just don't see how this happened."

I got up and moved to his side of the booth, wrapping my arms around him in what I hoped was an apologetic hug.

Until he took my head in his hands and kissed me.

Travis was the only guy who I'd ever actually kissed, so I couldn't compare it to anything, but kissing him felt like nothing at all. Lips touching lips, maybe his tongue in my mouth, what was so special about it? Eliza and Brady kissed like it was the greatest thing under the sun, but I had never, not even once, felt that way when Travis kissed me.

I envied Eliza.

I gently pushed Travis away, unable to take it anymore. "Travis, I'm not changing my mind."

"You really didn't feel anything?" Travis sounded helpless.

I shook my head. "I'm sor—"

"Please stop apologizing."

"I don't know what else there is to say," I shrugged.

"You could say that you want to give us a second chance. That you want to do everything you can to make us work."

"Are you even listening to me, Trav? We aren't going to work out. I can't go on acting like we have a chance when I'm not attracted to you," I cried. Breaking up with someone sucked. Especially when they were a nice guy like Travis who didn't deserve it at all.

"Shh, no more crying," Travis rubbed my arm. "I'm sorry if I just made you feel pressured. I'm just . . . shocked, honestly."

"I didn't mean to just blurt it out like I did. I just couldn't keep lying to you."

"What's done is done. No more need to be sad, Lilly. You shouldn't be sad, you should be happy."

"I'm not happy about hurting you."

"Oh, I'm a big tough guy. I'll get over it somehow," he gave me one of his signature half smiles that I used to wish I found more charming and attractive.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to go home now."

* * *

_Embry_

It didn't matter how crazy that girl drove me, my Sundays belonged to Lilly.

Over the past few months though, each Sunday—hell each time I saw her—I found it harder and harder to keep myself in check. How was Lilly literally so damn beautiful? Everything about her pulled me in—her eyes, her white curls, her pale skin, her perfect lips. Her fantastic fucking lips. When she spoke I could barely keep my eyes off of them. I watched the way her lips shaped words, any words, all words, and I thought about what those lovely pink lips would feel like pressed against mine. Kissing Lilly seemed to be all I could think about.

"So," Lilly said, stretching out on my couch. I tried really hard not to think about the little O shape her lips made when she uttered the word. "I went to dinner with Travis last night."

Why the fuck did she have to bring that little rat bastard up? Normally I was above hating humans, especially teenagers who didn't know better, but I hated Travis Newton probably more than any other mere mortal I knew.

Grayson thought my hatred was unreasonable. Lilly was a "very pretty girl" and it made sense that guys would "want to date her" and I couldn't expect Lilly to "stay single and wait around for me to come along and sweep her off her feet."

What did he know?

"Oh, did you?" I asked, scowling without meaning to.

"And I broke up with him…" Lilly shared, her eyes focused intently on the ceiling.

Wait what?

"Really?" I exclaimed, trying to sound way more casual than I was. "Did he hurt you or something? Do I need to kick his ass?"

I happily would. I'd kick his ass, chest, balls, face, gut, balls, face.

Lilly smiled but shook her head, "No, no, it was nothing like that. I just didn't… feel anything. It may sound naïve, but I guess I was under the impression that having a boyfriend would be more… magical."

_Oh, it will be, when you're mine._

"That doesn't make you naïve, Lilly. Just makes you a girl," I teased, hoping to distract her from any more boyfriend talk.

She sat back up, crossing her legs and facing me."Embry, have you ever been in love?"

_Yes, with you. I love you. I adore you. I worship you._

"Random question. But no, no past loves for me." _Only a current one._

"How come you never date anyone? The guys always joke about how you used to be such a ladies' man, but I've never actually seen you take a girl out."

Why was Lilly suddenly so interested in my love life? There was no way she could possibly know about the imprint, right? Or was there? Was she suspicious of me?

"What's with all the questions, Lil?" I forced a playful laugh.

Lilly shrugged, her face turning an elegant rosy color. "I don't know. I just feel like we always talk about me. We never talk about your childhood, or your human life, or even much about you before I knew you. I was just curious, that's all."

Curiosity was one thing. These questions were awfully suspicious. If she wanted to know about how much it sucked growing up without knowing who my dad was, the first time I became a werewolf, how angry I was when my mom packed up and left the state, I would tell her. But her questions were all about my love life, the one thing I absolutely couldn't open up about.

Here's an answer. My love life before Lilly was nothing. I slept with girls who I didn't bother to learn the names of and was satisfied by no one girl. One lay per girl, period. Why sleep with the same girl over and over again when there was always another hot girl waiting in the wings? I was the epitome of a douche bag, a man whore, a jackass.

Like I would tell my innocent Lilly all of _that_.

"Well, to satisfy your curiosity, I have no time to date. I'm too busy protecting the tribe, trying to keep a job for more than a few weeks, and of course spending time with my favorite person Lilly." I poked her stomach. She giggled.

"Fair enough."

"So how did Travis take the break up?"

"He was hurt, but I think he'll be okay. Travis is hardly the type to hold a grudge," Lilly said, "He's a really nice guy."

"You were way too good for him," I told her.

"You're only saying that because you didn't like him," Lilly shared, shoving me lightly and smiling.

_Don't kiss her._

"I didn't like him because he wasn't good enough for you."

"Well that isn't fair, you probably don't think any guy is good enough for me."

_Correct._ _I'm not even good enough for you, but I hope you'll have me one day anyways. _

"You know me."

"So basically, if you have anything to say I'm going to be single forever."

_Definitely not, Beautiful. _

I just grinned at her. "We'll see. So, what do you want to do before I have to take you home?"

* * *

_Lilly_

As Embry drove me home, I was fantastically happy.

It felt like the tension between Embry and I over the past few months had lessened slightly. Well, I was still wildly attracted to him and could barely breathe every time he touched me, but that heavy awkwardness that had existed during the months I dated Travis was gone. That's not to say things weren't still a little awkward for reasons I couldn't quite explain, but I had to admit that this was the best day I'd spent with Embry in quite a while.

We'd just sat on his couch and talked for a while, then played a few intense games of our favorite card game, Speed. After that Embry had attempted to make lunch, which resulted in him having to locate the miniature fire extinguisher that was kept under the sink. Then we ordered pizza, and I teased Embry when he ate nine pieces and I ate two and a half. We watched a few movies and then when the sky began to darken he announced it was time for him to take me home. Mom hated when I missed dinner.

"Thanks for taking me home," I told him, stalling to have just a few more seconds with him before I'd have to leave. I didn't want to leave him.

"Here, I'll walk you to the door," Embry said, quickly getting out of the truck and going around to open my door for me.

He took my hand and helped me down, even though I didn't need the help. So what if I didn't need help? His hand was warm and sent tingles throughout my entire body.

_I don't care how, one day I am going to kiss him, _I decided. I knew that if I didn't I'd go crazy and spend the rest of my life wondering "what if."

"One more week until Spring Break," Embry reminded, "Are you excited?"

"I'm always excited to spend more time with you," I told him, even though it was only half true. There was still the part of me that dreaded being around Embry more than anything.

"I have to start looking for a new job tomorrow," Embry chuckled.

"Maybe steer clear of jobs where there are beverages just sitting around waiting to be splashed in manager's faces," I suggested.

"I'll do that."

"Well, I guess I better go in there, dinner will be ready any minute," I sighed.

"Goodnight Lilly," Embry said. Then, after an awkward pause, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. He pulled back quickly after and started walking off a little faster than normal. "I'll uh, talk to you later."

I raised my hand to my forehead, sliding my fingers over the area his lips had touched. That was . . .

Out of character. Embry never kissed my head goodbye.

Amazing. His lips were on my skin.

Odd. He seemed to be in a real hurry to leave after that.

Definitely odd.

I opened the front door and slipped into the house, a lingering smile on my face. No matter how strange it was, I couldn't deny that I felt on top of the world. Sure, maybe right now all Embry cared to do was kiss my head, but maybe one day he'd want to kiss me more. Maybe there was a path out of the friend zone.

"Lilly? That you?" Mom called.

"Nope, I'm a burglar. Give me all your money," I replied, heading into the kitchen. Her and Keith were probably already setting the table.

Except, they weren't. My mother stood stiffly in the middle of the room, and Keith sat at the empty kitchen table, running his hands through his hair.

"Sweetie, we need to talk to you," Mom said seriously. My mother was a happy-go-lucky crunchy granola hippie from Los Angeles, she was never serious.

"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly, looking between

My mother wrung her hands anxiously. She was also rarely anxious. "Well, a few months ago, I got back in contact with my agent from LA, Paul."

Prior to getting pregnant with me, my mother had been an up-and-coming TV actress in Hollywood. She was only eighteen when she met my father and became pregnant. After that her acting career was pushed aside, although I'd always suspected that was one of her biggest regrets.

"Okay…" I said, waiting for her to continue.

"So he had me sending in auditions for different roles, trying to get me back in the industry. I didn't really think much would come out of it, I mean, I haven't acted in fifteen years."

A knot was forming in my stomach. "And?"

"And apparently a casting director for a new TV show knew me from when I was younger and said they want me on their show! It's wonderful, Lilly. He said my audition was so wonderful he casted me on the spot. It's a mystery show, isn't that great?" She sounded excited, but I could tell she was nervous about something that she hadn't mentioned yet.

"And it's filming here in Washington?" I asked.

My mother's face fell. "No, Los Angeles."

The knot tightened. "Don't tell me we're moving. Please don't tell me we're moving back to California."

"No, I wouldn't pull you out of school with your friends in the middle of the semester. But, um, I'm moving down there, naturally. Just for a few months though. We're set to film twelve episodes and if the channel decides to order more episodes, well, we'll cross that bridge if we get to it."

"For how long?" I inquired, staring at the wall and focusing on not crying.

"They want to fly me down there in ten days. Then we start filming at the end of the month and finish in early July."

"You're just telling me this _now _Mom? You never thought to mention before that you were going away for over three months?" I wasn't sure if I was more hurt or angry. I loved my mother, I did, but this was so typical of her.

"I just got the call yesterday. Typical Hollywood, they give you next to no notice. I wanted you to have a nice day with Embry so I didn't tell you. I just want you to know how much I love you. If you were younger I never would have considered taking the job, but you're a very mature girl, and I know you and Keith can survive without me for a few months. I know you are probably upset because you don't want me to leave, but maybe you could also be a little happy for me, too? This is my dream." My mother had a soft voice, the kind of voice that sounded airy and soothing no matter what she said. But tonight I did not feel soothed.

"Oh, I'm happy for you, Mom," I said, "I'm freaking ecstatic. Have fun playing actress." I turned and stormed out of the kitchen before she could say another word. _Happy for her? _She's leaving me with my stepdad of less than two years for three months at the least so she can go gallivanting around Hollywood? And what if the show is called for more episodes? She couldn't _seriously _think I would move to Los Angeles, could she? Leave my home, my friends, Eliza, Embry. No. No. No. No.

I didn't start crying until I reached my bed.

_This sucks._

* * *

**A/N Pt. 2: I only anticipate about fifteen chapters for this story, depending on how wordy I get into each chapter and if I end up needing a few fillers. Things will be picking up starting in the next chapter. Friendly reminder that I really appreciate each and every review so please leave one!**


	3. Not Like This

**A/N: Almost Christmas! I got you all a present! Yup, a new chapter. I guess I'll leave it to you all to decide if this was a gift you actually wanted to open . . . you'll see what I mean. ;)**

* * *

_Lilly_

"So, do you just want to order pizza tonight?" Keith asked as we pulled up on the driveway after dropping off my mother at the airport. The last ten days had passed by too quickly, and now my mother was gone. I wouldn't see her until summer, when she promised to fly Keith and I down for a week to visit her in Los Angeles.

"Sure, pizza is fine," I mumbled. I didn't have any problems with Keith . . . I mean, he was an okay stepfather and all, but I really didn't want to spend the next four months with just him. It would have almost been easier to just stay with Eliza.

I got out of the car and went straight to my room, not in the mood for conversation. The only person I wanted to talk to right now was Eliza, but she'd gotten her cell phone taken up after her father had come across her and Brady making out in her room . . . in the middle of the night. For the second time that month. Yeah, no comment.

And I couldn't talk to Embry right now, either. It was his night to run patrols.

Anyway, I was going to see her tomorrow, so we could talk then. Apparently, non-Brady visitors were permitted. Good thing, because if I couldn't talk to Eliza, I'd probably lose my mind. Not to mention, I'd actually get to spend time with her where Brady wasn't there. Maybe they should get caught making out in the middle of the night more often . . .

I was being selfish, and I knew it. Brady loved Eliza just as much as I did, I couldn't be angry with him for wanting to be around her. Brady was one of my close friends and I was so proud of him for finally getting Eliza to go out with him. Sure, I didn't get as much alone time with Eliza anymore, but at least now she wasn't miserable all the time.

Yet, I couldn't help but be jealous of them in more ways than one. I wish I was the one responsible for Eliza's mood change. I wish I had a guy who loved me like Brady loved Eliza. I wish that I could spend more alone time with Eliza.

_Just wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. _

Dinner with just Keith was . . . supremely awkward. Every conversation he tried to start fizzled within thirty seconds, and I wasn't really in a talking mood anyway.

"Your hair is getting longer," Keith noted.

"Yeah, I haven't cut it since the fall," I replied distantly. Why was he still even bothering?

"You should probably call your mom after you finish eating, see if she landed," he said.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to take up her time like that. What if someone important tries to call her?" I replied with mock horror.

Keith sighed, "Lilly—"

"No. She can call you and tell you she landed. I don't feel like talking to her." I stood, leaving my half eaten pizza slice at the table and returning to my room.

* * *

_Embry_

Running patrols at the same time as a heartsick Brady is no picnic.

_So what if I like to kiss my girlfriend? We're not having sex, it's totally legal, _he ranted on.

_Give it a rest, _Jamie groaned. Even Jamie, the youngest and friendliest member of the pack was getting tired of Brady's whining.

_I mean, Claire is barely a year older than Eliza and her boyfriend is _living _with her. All I want to do is kiss Eliza, is that so wrong?_

_No, but I think breaking and entering might be, _Seth teased.

_Doesn't mean her dad has to put a damn lock on her window! What gives him the right—_

_He's kind of her father, _Jamie reminded.

This was killing me. Ever since the Lilah fiasco, the number of patrolling wolves at any given time had been increased. Now night patrols were composed of four wolves instead of two. Maybe I'd be okay with that if they would all stop thinking so obnoxiously loud. If I heard about Eliza Young _one _more time—

_Oh, like we don't hear you thinking about Lilly all day every day, _Brady retorted.

Exactly what I was talking about. Too many wolves at one time. Too maybe people bumping in on my thoughts. Couldn't a guy even have a private thought? Was that too much to ask for?

_Around here? Yes. _I could sense Jamie's smirk.

_Hey! Maybe I could start going through Claire's window!_

If I was in human form, I would have fit myself in the face.

_Brady, I swear I'm going to choke you in your sleep, _I growled.

_You have anger management issues, _Brady huffed.

_Well you have Eliza Young issues and we're all tired of pretending to care._

Brady called me a few choice words, but tried to lower the volume on his thoughts nonetheless. For older wolves like Brady or Quil or myself it was easier to turn our thoughts into just a gentle hum as opposed to an ongoing monologue. If we weren't feeling particularly worked up about something, it was easy to let your thoughts fade into the background. Of course, none of us were as good at this as Grayson, who could literally mute his thoughts so much that it was easy to forget he was even there. Hell, none of us had known that Grayson had feelings for Leah until Seth's all-knowing vampire girlfriend Annie had sort of spilled the beans back in the summer. Leah had never really thought of Grayson romantically before, but after learning of his feelings she had developed some of her own and they had been in one of those awkward "are-they-or-aren't-they?" relationships for months.

But that wasn't nearly as hard to understand as the recent development in Danny's love life. He was in the middle of an on-again-off-again thing with Lilly's friend—or should I say former friend—Gaby Rivera. Now, I couldn't judge him for expressing interest in a fourteen year old girl. One, because that would make me a complete hypocrite, and two, he was fifteen when he stopped aging, so the girls he showed interest in would naturally be teenage girls, but Gaby happened to be best friends with a snake named Camille, who had never liked my perfect Lilly and became the archenemy of Eliza at the Winter Formal when Eliza brought Brady to the dance and ruined Camille's dress with the help of some fruit punch. Apparently, bitchface—I mean Camille—wasn't too happy to hear that her faithful sidekick was flirting with the enemy.

Mostly everyone in the pack seemed to be in their own little soap opera. Nolan and Jamie were dealing with their suspicious mother, who knew nothing of werewolves. Quil was struggling to say on Anthony's good side. Mason was trying and failing to get over Claire while dealing with the fact that his mom was seeing someone. Collin was regularly subjected to the world's most disgustingly happy new couple. And there was me, naturally. I envied wolves like Austin. No imprint, no family drama, no real enemies. Just a perpetual teenager enjoying life. What must that be like?

_Travis is _convinced_ he's going to win Lilly back, _Jamie informed me, breaking me away from my own thoughts, _that weasel. Sometimes I just want to push him down the stairs._

Jamie was talking about none other than Travis Newton, Lilly's former boyfriend, who also happened to be his step-brother. His mother had married Gary Newton six or so years ago and Nolan and Jamie got four new brothers. Mike, Alex, Jason, and Travis, the most typically and stupidly human boys I had ever met. Mike was a complete idiot, Alex was a notorious under-achiever, Jason thought he was a gift to the world, and Travis was a little bastard who tried to steal _my_ Lilly. It was a miracle that Jamie had stayed sane spending every other weekend at their house.

_I dare him to try, _I growled.

_She won't take him back, Embry. I'm pretty sure she's— _he stopped suddenly, not wanting to finish the sentence. Too bad I was in his mind and he couldn't conceal what he was thinking.

_She's not in love with me, Jamie, _I snapped, for what felt like the thousandth time.

_She might be. She's pretty mature, and Claire admitted that she fell for Quil when she was fifteen. _

_Eliza's fifteen, and trust me, she is very capable of showing her love, _Brady thought.

Oh gross. Kill me.

_Will all of you leave me alone? No talk of Lilly. No Travis. No imprinting. Just shut up._

_Just tell her you love her and we'll leave you alone, _Austin suggested.

_And then we can double date! _Brady realized.

Ha. No way. I'd rather gnaw on my foot than double date with Brady and Eliza.

Why couldn't they just shut up about it? Lilly wasn't ready to know about the imprint. Her mother had just _left _for like four months. She really didn't need anything else to stress over, especially not the realization that her friend who knew her better than anyone was her magical werewolfy soul mate. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not any time soon.

* * *

_Lilly _

Keith took me to La Push the next morning. The car was painfully quiet as we drove.

"So," he said after we had spent nearly the entire trip in silence, "You haven't been going on dates with that boy lately. Travis is his name, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I broke up with him," I answered uncomfortably. Just because my mom was gone didn't mean Keith had to try and be her.

He smiled. "Oh, well you didn't need him anyway. You're a beautiful young lady, you don't need a boy to make you happy."

"Uh, thanks, Keith," I replied awkwardly, turning to look out the window.

We thankfully arrived at Eliza's a minute later, sparing me from anymore of that dreadfully uncomfortable conversation.

"Just call me when you need me to come pick you up," Keith told me before turning around and driving off.

I waved goodbye and then went to go ring the doorbell. I had been expecting Eliza to answer, but it was Claire instead.

"Hey Lilly, Eliza's on her way down."

"Okay," I stepped inside, "How've you been?"

Although Eliza was my best friend, I couldn't deny that I also loved Claire. She was insightful and positive and brave and kind, not to mention she was one of the most trustworthy people I knew. She was the only one who knew how I really felt about Embry, and I had never once had to worry that she was going to sell me out.

"Great! Well, mostly great. Quil has patrols today, which sucks, but I'm going to go meet up with Kallia at the bookstore and then we may go see a movie."

Kallia was one of Claire's school friends who had no idea about the magical world we lived in. I'd met her several times and understood why Claire liked her. She was quirky, unique, fun-loving, free, oblivious. She didn't know that Claire had nearly died over winter break, or that her boyfriend was a werewolf, or that Claire's other close friend Renesmee was half vampire. She lived in a world where everything was blissfully normal. I couldn't even remember what that was like.

"Fun! Tell her I say hi," I said just as Eliza started making her way down the stairs.

"Bye, Claire. Don't feel pressured to rush home or anything," Eliza told her sister.

"Bye, Liza. Try not to miss me too much," she smiled at her sister and then left, closing the door behind her.

"Thank God you're here, I'm going crazy in this house. Like, do Quil and Claire have to be _so _obnoxious?" Eliza asked, heading into the living room. I followed, smirking. Eliza was _really_ one to talk.

"Yeah, obnoxious couples are just awful, aren't they?"

"Lilly Sophia Gray, are you mocking me?" Eliza challenged, turning and raising an eyebrow.

"I would never," I promised, still smirking.

"You're evil. Brady and I aren't half as bad as them, Dad just likes Claire more and lets her do _whatever _she wants."

Ironic, considering that up until about three months ago Eliza had been the prized golden child and Claire was the rebellious daughter. The Youngs were weird like that.

"Where is your dad?"

"Working in his office, no surprise. You hungry?"

"Nah, I ate before I came over."

"How are you doing? Are things like really awkward without your mom there?" Eliza inquired.

"Things are how you would expect. Weird. I mean, I don't need my mom to look after me or anything, I know how to take care of myself. And it's not like I really miss her, she's been gone all of twenty-four hours. But yeah, it's different in the house. It didn't smell like coffee when I woke up this morning for the first time since . . . forever? I don't even remember."

"Can you just live here and we'll kick Quil out?" Eliza suggested. "That would be so much better."

"Yeah, if only."

"You talked to your mom since she left?"

I shook my head. "She talked to Keith last night but I didn't feel like hearing about how warm and sunny it was in Los Angeles and how happy she is blah blah blah."

"This is all so crazy to me still. Like, I never thought your mom would give acting a second go."

"I don't even want to talk about her anymore, to be honest. Tell me what's new with you," I prompted.

"My dad put a damn lock on my window. A _lock. _Like I'm twelve years old or something! He doesn't trust me at all."

"Maybe that's because he always finds your boyfriend in your bed in the middle of the night?" I speculated drily.

"Please, he doesn't _always _find him. It's happened like five times. Big deal."

"Pretty soon he'll be filing for a restraining order . . ."

"Ugh. Don't give him any ideas. It's bad enough that I'm grounded all of spring break. A whole week off from school and I don't even get to see him. It's awful."

It was still amusing to me just how much Eliza had changed over the course of the past several months. Miss "I am not and will never be attracted to Brady Fuller" was now devastated when she has to go more than a day or two without seeing him. It was a nice change, usually. Better her be happy and obnoxious than miserable and closed-off.

"You are so in love with that boy," I laughed, hanging my legs off the arm of the couch and resting my head on one of the decorative pillows.

"Whatever," Eliza mumbled.

"I don't know why you try and deny it, you're head over heels for him."

I couldn't see Eliza's face because of how I was sitting, but I heard the tired exhale she gave. "You say that like it's a good thing."

"Um, it is. Being in love and being loved in return is a good thing."

"It's more complicated than that, Lilly. I mean, things can happen, and I would have no control over them. It's not like I can honestly expect that I'm going to marry him or anything."

My eyebrows furrowed, "And why not? He's crazy about you, and you love him, too. Why is it so wild to think you two could get married?"

"You don't understand, Lilly. It's easy for you. Everything all planned out perfectly. I don't have that security," she mumbled bitterly.

I sat up and stared down at her with honest puzzlement. She was sitting on the floor, more tense than I would have imagined. This was clearly not the first time she thought about this . . . whatever it was.

"What in the world are you talking about?" I asked, "Nothing is _easy_ for me, Liza."

She laughed. "Look, just drop it okay. Why are we talking about Brady anyway? This is stupid. I'm fifteen, I don't know what my future holds. Brady could get tired of me or—"

"Doubtful," I interrupted.

"Or maybe we will get in a fight too big to overcome."

"Nope."

"Or my dad could murder him."

"You wouldn't let him."

"Or he could cheat on me."

"Okay, now you sound ridiculous."

"Look, not all of us have imprints, okay Lilly? My love life isn't set in stone! I. Am. Not. You." Eliza snapped. Then, within a second, her entire face transformed. Her hand slapped over her mouth and she gave a small gasp. Her eyes widened in absolute terror.

_What the heck?_

"What do you mean?" I questioned suspiciously, a cold feeling working its way through my veins.

"Shit, shit, shit," Eliza whispered, more to herself than me, "What the hell did I just do?" She stood and started pacing back and forth across the living room, but my question went unanswered.

"Eliza," I stood up and spoke firmly, hoping I sounded demanding, "What exactly are you implying here?"

Eliza ignored me, swearing more and pacing even faster. "Fuck. Fuck. Me and my mouth. Fuck it all. Stupid! Stupid!" She was genuinely scaring me at this point.

"What do you mean my _love life_?"

"Merde. Je suis une fille morte! Elle connaît! Porquoi Dieu? Ma grande bouche! Merde. Merde. Merde."

"Are—are you speaking _French?_"

She came to a stop in front of me."Let's just rewind a little. You're right, Lilly. I'm totally in love with Brady. Maybe we will get married and have cute little children and live happily ever after. Do you want to be godmother?"

"Eliza, I'm serious!"

Eliza went back to pacing.. "He's going to kill me. Oh shit. Shit! Damn it! Fuck."

"_Who _is going to kill you? And why?"

"Oh my God. Oh God. This conversation should _not _be happening. What have I done? He was supposed to tell you, and I—Fuck. Fuck. I'll have to run away, change my last name, maybe dye my hair brown. I don't want to be a brunette, Lilly!"

"Liza, are you trying to say that someone _imprinted _on me?" I asked, feeling the coldness freeze every organ, every muscle, every cell of my body.

"He is going to murder me, Lilly! He can't know that you know! You don't want me to be murdered, right? Oh God I am too young and virginal to die! DO NOT tell him!"

It was a miracle I was still standing. If my body weren't completely frozen, I suspected my knees would have given out some time ago. "Tell _who_ what? You have to tell me what the hell is going on, Eliza! Are you or are you not telling me that I am someone's . . . imprint?" I could hardly utter the word.

Me, an imprint? Me? Adored and loved in every way possible? A best match to pass on the werewolf gene? Some freaky magical soul mate? Me? Of all people, me?

Eliza's silence was all the response I needed, and all it took for my body to work again. My knees gave out and I fell back onto the couch. "Who?" I croaked. "Who is it?" I was almost too terrified to ask.

"Oh, don't be so completely blonde, Lilly! You know _exactly _who it is. Surely you've figured it out by now.

_No. _No she couldn't possibly be talking about . . . there was no way shecould mean . . . But who else could it be?

It all clicked. Words spoken long ago. About how a wolf was always there for his imprint. How they were always watching out for her. How they imprinted the first time they saw her.

I knew every single member of the pack, but only one of them left a lasting impression . . .

Only one.

"Are you saying that—that," I could barely say it, "_Embry _imprinted on me?"

Eliza didn't say anything, her head hanging in shame.

"Answer me," I meant to sound demanding, but my voice cracked. I felt dizzy. What were the symptoms of a panic attack?

"If I don't answer you, then I can't be held accountable," she muttered, turning her back to me.

"Oh my God," I breathed. Embry. Embry Call. Embry imprinted on me. I was Embry's imprint. His _imprint. _How did Eliza know? Why had no one told me? How was this possible? What did it mean for us? So many questions, and I couldn't manage to say a single one of them.

Yeah, the world was definitely spinning. Why was it spinning so fast? I—I couldn't—

I started to inhale and exhale sharply, the world kept spinning. Spots began appearing in my vision.

"Lilly, calm down, breathe with me," Eliza ordered soothingly, turning back to me and placing her hands on my shoulders. "You're hyperventilating. You need to calm down or you're going to faint."

_Embry imprinted on me. Embry imprinted on me. Embry imprinted on me. Embry imprinted on me. Embry imprinted on me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me._

"Lilly!" Eliza shouted. I didn't notice her lift her hand, but suddenly I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek. Did Eliza just _slap_ me?

"What the hell?" I snapped.

"You were about to faint on me," Eliza replied. "You were having a major panic attack."

"So you _slapped _me?"

"You wouldn't calm your breathing down," she defended.

"Well maybe it's because I just found out that my best friend imprinted on me and my other best friend knew about it when I didn't!"

"It slipped out! I—I didn't mean to! Ugh, me and my big mouth. Do you know how dead I am, Lilly? Embry can't know that you know! He'll murder me! Literal murder!"

I glared at her. "Right now you should be more worried about _me _killing you! How long have you known . . . this?"

"About a year and a half . . ." She confessed guiltily.

"You knew for a year and a half and you never thought to mention this to me?" Never had I felt so much betrayal, "You're supposed to be my best friend, Liza! How could you not tell me this! Why is it so difficult for you to _ever _be honest with me?"

"Don't blame me, Lilly! It wasn't my secret to tell! Not to mention that Jacob and Renesmee and Quil and Seth and Annie and Brady and the pack have known for _way _longer than I have!"

A horrible, unbearable thing occurred to me then. "Does Claire know?"

"Of course she knows. You think Quil wouldn't tell her something like that? I'm pretty sure it came up the same day he told her everything else."

"Unbelievable!" I exclaimed. So much for being able to trust Claire. "Claire knows how I feel and—God she couldn't even have _hinted _that—"

Eliza raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what does Claire know?"

"Goodbye Eliza," I said, shoving past her, "If you were serious about running away I suggest you leave now. Not that it'll do you much good."

"Wait! Lilly! Where are you going? Lilly don't leave!"

I ignored her, storming out the front door and slamming it behind me.

* * *

_Embry_

I was still fast asleep when the banging on my front door started. My eyes opened groggily as I examined the alarm clock. Not even noon yet.

"Embry Call! Open the door now! I know you're home!" A devastatingly familiar voice yelled.

It was Lilly, and she sounded _pissed. _

Had I done something?

I pulled on a shirt and stumbled toward the front door, still half awake and completely confused.

She continued the door banging the whole time.

I opened the door and there she was, fist still raised in the air like she was ready to knock on the door some more. She looked winded, like she'd just been running. There was murder in her eyes.

"Hey Lil, what's going—"

She stomped right past me and into the hallway. "YOU IMPRINTED ON ME!" She yelled accusingly, more enraged than any vampire I'd ever seen.

_That_ woke me up.

"Wh—what?"

"Do not act shocked, Embry Call! You do not have the _right _to be shocked!"

"H—how?"

"Eliza may have let it slip, accidently," she informed me, her usually beautiful but now terrifying eyes narrowing.

"Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck." I rubbed my forehead, feeling an instant headache forming. I was going to kill that girl. Later. Right now I had bigger issues. Massive issues. The motherload of all issues.

Lilly knew she was my imprint. And she was ferocious like I'd never seen.

She wasn't supposed to find out like this. Not like this.

"How long did you think you could keep this a secret? I'm your magical wolfy soul mate or something? You never thought to mention that in the last _six years?_"

"You're fifteen! Barely fifteen! Fuck. Fuck. This is not happening." I headed into the living room, trying not to panic.

"What were you going to do? Just keep this a secret forever? Maybe tell me once I was married to Travis or something? How could you keep this from me?"

"Lilly, you're fifteen years old. You weren't ready to know."

"I'M FIFTEEN, NOT ELEVEN! I AM CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING THINGS."

Please tell me I was having a nightmare. Please make all of this a nightmare. Lilly was not supposed to find out this way. This was _not _how things were supposed to go.

"I didn't want you to feel like you couldn't have a life of your own. Why would a fifteen year old girl want to find out that she had no options and that she was basically stuck with some guy forever?"

Lilly raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms across her chest."So now I have no options? Am I not allowed to be mad at you either? Is that against the rules?"

"No, Lilly, that's not what I'm saying—It's just that I didn't want this to happen! This reaction! I didn't want to tell you too soon and ruin our friendship!"

"Well guess what? I know. So now what?"

That was a very good question.

Her next question wasn't.

"Embry, how do you feel about me?"

* * *

_Lilly_

"Embry, how do you feel about me?" I asked, all of the anger draining out of me. This whole time I had been so furious with everyone for keeping the secret from me, that I had never actually considered what it all meant.

Of course I had never connected with Travis. Of course every time I was with him I wished it was Embry. My heart was literally hardwired to only have feelings for one person. In theory, that would mean that Embry was the same way.

Right?

"We are _not _having this discussion Lilly."

"I think we are," I said, walking up to him with determination.

"No. We're not."

"It's a simple question."

He bit his lip and turned away from me. "Things aren't simple, Lilly. Imprinting may sound simple, but it's not. Especially not when you aren't supposed to know about it. I didn't tell you for a reason. You're a freshman in high school, Lilly. When you were _born _I was older than you are now. You just turned fifteen less than two weeks ago and you want know how I feel about you? I'm still your friend, Lilly! I'm not some creepy stalker preying on teenage girls. I don't have some demented Lilly shrine in my closet. Things aren't any different than they've always been."

It would have hurt less if he'd ripped my heart right out of my chest. Imprint or not, Embry didn't have feelings for a silly teenage girl. The very thought was impossible for him to comprehend. He was too old and mature to have feelings for a fifteen year old girl. Maybe if I was ten years older.

Imprinting didn't mean that Embry was magically in love with me, it meant he didn't have a choice but to be with me. It meant that he was stuck being single because he was obligated to . . . mate with me at some point. It's not like he'd _chosen _to imprint on me. It was against his will. He was meant for me, but that didn't mean he liked it.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Oh. I see."

"I don't want to spoil our friendship, Lilly. You're important to me."

"Our friendship," I mumbled. "Yeah."

"It's complicated, Lil. Can you understand why I didn't want you to know all of this?"

"Yeah," I lied, "I understand."

"Just because you're my . . . imprint, doesn't have to change anything. You don't have to feel like you're obligated to do anything. I just hope you know that."

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat that could be either tears or vomit, I wasn't sure.

Thank God I hadn't said anything stupid. If he knew . . . that one of us wanted to be more than friends . . . that would destroy everything.

Although, part of me wondered if it wasn't already destroyed.

* * *

**A/N pt. 2: So, if you need me, I'll be hiding out in Antarctica. Kidding. Maybe. But seriously, try not to be too frustrated at me for this chapter. I promise I am not making this difficult just to torture my readers. I wanted to present an imprint story where things aren't all simple and rosy. If you think they are going to declare their undying love in the next chapter, I'm sorry but it won't happen. Please review, because you know it makes me smile. LOVE YOU ALL! **


	4. Moments

**A/N: Okay, so I feel like I should warn you, this chapter is dark. I'm talking holy-shit-I-can't-even-see-three-feet-in-front-of-me-someone-help-me dark. Heavy shit is going to go down, especially in the second pov. Despite that, I hope you like the chapter. I've literally been preparing myself to write it for like . . . two years. **

* * *

_Embry_

I didn't know what I expected would happen after Lilly knew. I had never thought about a situation like this. Never even considered that something like it could have possibly happened.

But it did.

Lilly knew about the imprint, and three weeks later she could still barely look at me. She'd cancelled our Sunday plans three weekends in a row for various reasons. She was always too busy to hang out after school. Too much homework to talk on the phone.

I knew that Lilly was avoiding me. But, in all fairness, I was kind of avoiding her, too. I was avoiding everyone, really.

Despite all of my efforts to explain things to her in the best possible light, Lilly still thought I was some creepy pedophile who wanted to kidnap her and make baby werewolves. That was the only explanation. She was absolutely disgusted at the thought of me imprinting on her. Why? Oh yeah, because I was double her age.

Those words I'd said to her that day—about how young she was and how _of course_ I didn't have feelings for her like that—literally burned in my throat as I said them. But what was I supposed to do? It was the only thing I could say to not scare her off forever. Although, it may have been too late for that. If the last three weeks meant anything, I was already losing her.

Thank God she didn't know everything. I couldn't even imagine how revolted she'd be if she knew that I really _was _in love with her.

This whole situation was so fucked up.

Quil had made a habit of coming over whenever he could to try and keep my spirits up. He was failing, of course, but I did appreciate his effort. He was sacrificing Claire time to try and make me not feel so miserable in the absence of my own personal angel. It reminded me a little bit of what life was like a year ago, when my feelings for Lilly hadn't taken over my life and Quil and Claire hadn't started dating yet. I liked having my best friend back.

However, he was also starting to annoy me. If he told me to "just go talk to her" _one_ more fucking time . . .

What the hell would I even fucking say? There was nothing _to_ say. I'd already lied through my teeth, how much more lying would it take to get her to talk to me? Was there even an amount? Or was the horrifying prospect of me as her soul mate too much for her to handle?

I hated imprinting almost as much as I loved Lilly.

* * *

_Lilly_

I absolutely hated imprinting. Loathed it. Detested it. Despised it.

It was all imprinting's fault that I was so madly in love with Embry Call. The same Embry Call who, despite the imprint, clearly did not feel the same way about me. I hated that something that Quil and Claire and Jake and Nessie celebrated like it was the most fantastic thing in the universe was ruining my most important relationship.

Six years! For six years Embry had had to entertain me and be there for me because it was his magical werewolf duty. He'd had no choice but to be my friend and take a central role in my life because he knew that one day he would have to . . . _mate _with me. Because of me, Embry couldn't have a normal love life. He couldn't date girls. Couldn't fall in love. Couldn't settle down and have kids. Why? Because some stupid werewolf magic told him that he had to be with me, no matter how much he didn't want to.

Me. A silly fifteen year old girl with little to offer. A freshman in high school who didn't even have plans for her future after she graduated. A girl he couldn't _possibly_ have feelings for because, come on, how sick and twisted would that make him? Right? Right?

I wanted to punch something. Or someone. Actually, I wanted imprinting to become a person so I could punch them hard in the face. Repeatedly.

Never in my life had I felt so emotionally riled up. A hideous mess of feelings was jumbled inside of me and sorting through them was near impossible. _Managing_ them was completely out of the question. Embarrassment. Betrayal. Love. Hurt. Anger. Fear. Consuming, ice-cold fear.

I was foolish for thinking Embry could ever actually have feelings for me. I was like a little sister to him! That annoying little sister that you may love but can't help but think of how much better life would be without. I mean, honestly, it would be a miracle if Embry didn't secretly hate me. I had held him back from living his life! I'd taken up more hours of his time than any person could count. I'd thought he was the most amazing person I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. And he just hung around me because he had no other choice. Some magical invisible force wouldn't allow him to leave me.

My heart was in pieces. My confidence had gone from barely there to nonexistent. Every single time Embry called, or texted, or offered to give me a ride home from school, I refused. My excuses were vague and transparent, but I doubted Embry was actually hurt. If anything, he was just worried about my health or something. God forbid his mate have any health problems . . . that could be bad for the future children!

_Oh, the horror. _

I was not going to put myself through that torture any longer. I couldn't. I couldn't spend time with Embry when it caused me that much pain. I loved him too much to pretend like I didn't. It was literally killing me.

The first week was the hardest. It seemed like the days following the discovery I had a never ending supply of tears. I was ashamed by the amount of time I had spent locked up in my room crying into my pillow. Feeling sorry for yourself is just too easy.

When school started back up, I had to pull myself together. That week was one of depression. And anger. Embry wasn't the only person whose calls I ignored, and every time Eliza tried to talk to me I nearly screamed at her. Everyone at school assumed I was acting like I was because of my mom, and I was more than happy to let them think that. Eliza thought I was just mad at her, which wasn't untrue, but also not the cause of my mood. The rage simmered down by Thursday afternoon of that week, however, and the depression moved to the forefront. Keith couldn't even coax me out of my room to go to church on Easter Sunday.

The third week had been a peculiar one. I still felt angry, and depressed, and sad, and hurt, and betrayed, but all of those emotions had outwardly turned me into somewhat of an emotional zombie. My heart couldn't grab hold of any one emotion, so it decided not to latch onto any particular feeling at all. I was just kind of . . . numb. Like I was sleepwalking through my days. On Tuesday, Eliza had shamelessly groveled, and although I wasn't quite ready to forgive her, I did tell her that she could stop beating herself up for everything that had happened. After all, it wasn't her fault that Embry had imprinted on me and it wasn't her fault that I was hopelessly in love with him. She didn't even know how I felt about Embry, so it wasn't fair to blame her for it. Besides, with my friendship with Embry in shambles, I needed _one _best friend.

When Sunday afternoon rolled around, my third Sunday spent at home, Keith finally said something.

"No plans today?" He asked, poking his head into my room.

"Not today," I said flatly without looking up from my book. (Which, in all honesty, I hadn't really been paying much attention to.)

"You've been staying in a lot lately," Keith commented, taking a step further into my room and shutting the door behind him. I wished he would just leave me alone.

"Have I?" I asked without inflection. "I've been tired, I guess."

"Lilly, what's wrong? You haven't hung out with Eliza since spring break," Keith recalled, refusing to sense my I-Don't-Want-To-Talk vibes.

"I see her at school all the time. Besides, she's busy with her boyfriend."

Keith furrowed his eyebrows together and came to sit on the edge of my bed. "Why don't you spend some time with your boyfriend, then?"

I sighed and laid my book down on the nightstand. "Keith, you know I broke up with Travis."

"I know, I was talking about your other boyfriend. Embry," Keith specified. "Isn't Sunday his special day or something?"

The heavy aching in my chest was replaced by a violent sharp pain. "Embry is not my boyfriend, Keith. And he's never going to be." Each word from my mouth was a fresh shot of pain.

I felt a new warmth on my leg and looked down to find Keith's hand resting right above my knee. I knew he was probably just trying to make me feel better, but he'd only been my stepfather for a few years and the contact left me feeling rather uncomfortable.

"Oh, I see. Well, forget him. There's other, more mature guys out there, and you're fucking gorgeous."

"Excuse me?" I looked up at him incredulously, trying to detect what on Earth he was talking about.

And that was when he kissed me.

He crushed his lips harshly against mine and tried to force his tongue between my lips before I even could process what was happening. I pushed his chest hard, shoving him away from me the second my muscles could react.

"What is wrong with you?" I yelled, slapping him and getting to my feet. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, absolutely disgusted.

And Keith smiled. A slimy, crooked, daunting smile that made my skin crawl. "I just couldn't help myself, Lilly," he shrugged, standing as well and stepping toward me. I took a nervous step back. "You're irresistible, do you know that?" He reached out to touch me and I jumped back again.

"Don't touch me! You're repulsive. I have half a mind to call my mom. Or the cops," I spat, narrowing my eyes at him.

That was probably not the smartest thing I could have said in that situation.

I yelped in pain as my head collided with the wall and the rest of my body slammed roughly against it. Keith's fingers dug painfully into my wrists as he held my hands above my now throbbing head. I struggled against his hold but obviously couldn't best a grown man.

"Let me go!" I demanded, thrashing wildly to no avail.

"Aren't you feisty," he chuckled, his eyes raking up and down my body, like he was undressing me with his eyes. My stomach lurched. _No. This isn't happening. No. No. No._

Keith's lips descended on mine again and I pursed my lips together as tightly as I could, refusing to cooperate. I screamed through clenched teeth and tried to move my head away from his. Two things resulted from this. One, he switched to hold both of my hands in one of his. Two, he used his now free hand to get a hold of my hair.

He forced my mouth open and I reacted the only way I could think of, which was biting down on his tongue as hard as I possibly could. The disgusting metallic taste of blood invaded my mouth and Keith pulled away, cursing colorfully.

"Little bitch," he growled, knocking me to the floor. I landed on my shoulder and let out another small cry.

Keith lowered himself onto me, his legs pinning mine down and one of his arms restraining my arms. His free hand moved over my body, groping at my chest and then moving down to my hips.

And then his hand found its way to the waistband of my sweatpants. And under.

Keith was going to rape me. My stepfather was actually going to _rape_ me. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Keith, no! Please! Please don't do this!" I was crying, begging, and completely panic-stricken. This was a nightmare. This _had_ to be a nightmare.

"I like hearing you beg," he whispered in my ear. I shuddered, hating the way his hot breath touched my ear.

"You're going to hell," I hissed, trying with all of my strength to free myself from under him.

"Then I may as well enjoy myself, right?" Keith smirked, his fingers grazing the rim of my underwear. I screamed again.

_I can't let him do this. I can't let him do this. _

Keith was strong, a lot stronger than me, but I also sensed him getting distracted. And as much as I wanted to continue to scream and panic, I had to think if I wanted to stop what was happening.

While Keith busied himself with teasing at the edge of my underwear, I managed to yank one of my legs loose. Before he could react and trap me again I drove my knee hard into his groin. He swore loudly and momentarily relaxed his grip on my hands, allowing me to tear them free. I raked my fingernails down his cheek and then punched him as hard as I could in his windpipe. His hand that had previously been in my pants flew up to his throat as he struggled to breathe.

The combination of those three things allowed me to free myself from underneath him. I was on my feet within a few seconds, but Keith wasn't down for the count. Bloody gashes crossed his left cheek from where my fingernails had clawed him, going from his temple to the corner of his mouth. He wiped at them with his sleeve and began to rise to his feet.

I backed up, utterly terrified, and crashed into my vanity table, knocking several things to the floor. My hands moved across the vanity frantically, desperately searching for anything that I could use to defend myself. Where was pepper spray when you needed it?

Keith started to move toward me again and my fingers closed around a long, cool cylinder. My rarely used can of hairspray. Not quite pepper spray, but it was all I had. I lashed out my arm and pushed down on the nozzle, releasing the spray right into Keith's eyes and fresh cheek wounds. He howled in pain and stepped back, pushing his fists into his eyes.

And I ran.

Or rather, I sprinted.

Out my bedroom door. Down the stairs. Through the front door. Across the lawn.

I didn't stop there. I raced down the street, not sure where I was even going and not caring as long as it was as far away as possible from that house.

The April day was unseasonably cold and I probably would have longed for a jacket if I was actually able to think about things that minor.

He tried to force himself on me. My own stepfather. The man married to my mother. The person who I was stuck with for the next three months. Why? Why was any of this happening?

I kept moving, hoping that if I ran fast enough my emotional trauma would be unable to catch up to me. My lungs were burning and I found myself gasping for air within minutes. And also completely lost.

In my haste, I had paid no attention to the direction I was fleeing and now found myself on an unfamiliar street. I wiped tears from my eyes and swallowed my hysteria.

_Figure out where to go now. Panic later. _It was the only way.

I fell to my knees on the sidewalk and pushed my hair out of my face, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down.

I became aware of the sound of a car tires slowing down on the street. My muscles tensed and I looked up, half expecting to see Keith's Toyota Camry. A pressure lifted off of my chest when I clarified that it was not his silver vehicle, but a dated blue Kia rolling to a stop.

The tinted window rolled down, revealing a concerned looking older Native American woman.

"You're Lilly, right? Eliza's friend?" The woman was Lisa Jones, Sam and Emily's neighbor who also babysat Eliza and Claire sometimes when they were younger. Of all the people who could be driving by.

I nodded, trying to wipe the remaining tears off my cheeks. Slowly, I stood, figuring I probably looked pretty insane curled up on the sidewalk.

"Is something wrong dear? Are you hurt?" The woman asked, her voice low and soothing, although I didn't feel anywhere close to soothed.

"I—" What was I going to say? _I'm fine? _I most certainly was not fine. I was a wreck. Surely she saw that. "I'm just having a bad day," I told her weakly, giving what would probably go down in the record books as the world's biggest understatement.

"Is there something I can do to help, Lilly? Do you need to use my phone, or can I take you somewhere?"

Eliza had always told me that Ms. Lisa was probably the nicest woman she had ever encountered, and I was beginning to see why. Most people didn't offer to give rides to fifteen year old girls who were friends of former neighbors.

"Actually, could you, um, take me to Eliza's house?" I inquired, not wanting to impose but seeing no other option.

The woman smiled. "Of course I can, sugar. I just had tea with an old friend and I was on my way back to La Push anyway. Hop on in."

I gave a feeble smile and walked around to the passenger side door.

Most people would prod and pry in an attempt to discover what had tears still streaming from my eyes, but Ms. Lisa wasn't one for being nosy. She let me sniffle and wipe at my tears the entire drive, even handing me a small packet of tissue to dry my eyes with.

The drive to Eliza's was quiet, save for my occasional sniffle.

When we reached the house, Ms. Lisa wrote her phone number on a piece of paper in case I needed anything else and I uttered a weak thank you in response that didn't begin to cover how grateful l I was for her help. Then she waved at me and drove off.

I took a deep breath and started up Eliza's front sidewalk, not sure how I was going to tell her what had happened. Could I even say it out loud?

I rang the doorbell, wiping my eyes frantically and trying to keep whatever shred of sanity I was holding on to. Much to my disappointment, it was Mr. Young, not Eliza, who answered the door.

"Lilly?" He said, phrasing it almost as a question.

"Is Eliza home?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"No, sorry Lilly, she and Claire are in Port Angeles today."

My legs threatened to give out. Eliza wasn't home. She wasn't even in the area. Where else could I go? Who else could I confide in?

Collin? No, how could I burden him with that? Sam and Emily? No, Emily was so sweet and gentle, I couldn't tell her. Renesmee? In my hurry, I'd left my cell phone back in my bedroom. The only way I could get in contact with her would be to get in contact with someone who had her number, and that would only lead to explaining things to them that I wasn't at all ready to talk about. Aunt Tasha? She lived all the way in Seattle, it would be hours before I could get to her. Plus, she was my mother's sister. And if my mother found out—

She was so blissfully happy right now. How could I shatter that?

My heart dropped to my stomach. There was really only one option. As much as I didn't want to admit it, there was only one person who I could go to in this situation. The person I'd been purposely avoiding for three weeks. Embry.

"Lilly, what's wrong?" Mr. Young asked, his eyebrows pulling together. I shuddered, a fit of panic washing over me. Keith had said the same thing to me. And then he'd put his hands on me.

"N—nothing," I stuttered, backing up and racing down the sidewalk.

* * *

_Embry_

Another Sunday without Lilly. Her excuse this time was that she had a major test Monday that she needed to study for. I'd offered to help her study, but of course she'd quickly refused. Lilly had always let me help her study before . . .

She really wanted nothing to do with me.

Fuck my life.

I was so miserable, I was actually considering calling up Mason so we could be depressed together. Fucking. Mason.

I was distracted from this horrific realization by a rapid knocking on the door. On the other side I heard a girl's unsteady breathing and sniffling.

If I didn't know any better, I would have said it sounded like . . . Lilly.

Without hesitation, I stood and practically ran to the door, swinging it open as fast as I could.

I'd never been more unhappy to have been right about something. It was Lilly all right, with damp cheeks and red eyes, hunched over and clutching her stomach with one arm while her other was raised, prepared to knock again.

She looked like she'd been to hell and back.

Automatically , I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tight as I could without crushing her and rubbing my hands up and down her back. "What happened, Lil?" I inquired. Suddenly, it was like the past three weeks hadn't happened. At least not for me. It didn't matter that Lilly and I had barely spoken, I still loved her and she needed me to be there for her. I would always be there for her, no matter how awkward things were between us.

She started sobbing and hugged me tighter, soaking my shirt with her tears. The horrifying pained sounds Lilly made hurt me more than words could describe. Each new sound was another knife being plunged in.

"Shh, I'm here. Tell me what's wrong." I led her into the house and shut the door behind us.

"El—Eliza w—wasn't home. And I h—had nowhere else to g—go. But I—I had to get away," she explained in broken sobs. I wanted to tell her that she was making no sense at all, but refrained.

"Away from what?" I asked, stroking her hair.

"From K—Keith," she muttered, then started crying even harder.

My entire body went rigid. I released her from my hug, holding her at arms' length and studying her face carefully. "What do you mean?" I asked with urgency.

"I tried t—to tell him to st—stop, but he wasn't listening!" Lilly was crying so hard at this point that her words were barely English.

"Stop him from what?" I demanded, noticing the fury in my voice. If that bastard had done _anything _to my Lilly . . . "What did he do?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lilly mumbled, hiding her face in her hands.

I tore her hands away impatiently. Everything was turning red. "God damn it, Lilly! What did he do?"

"He tried to force himself on me," Lilly explained, her voice barely a whisper. "But I—I got away." She started sobbing all over again.

I couldn't have heard her right. No. No. No fucking way she said that. Keith didn't really… _No. _

Lilly was mine. _Mine. _No one else could have her and especially not her fucking stepfather.

A little voice in the back of my head informed me that this was all my fault. It was _me _who'd pushed Lilly away. She was supposed to spend her Sundays with _me_. But I hadn't been able to convince Lilly that I wasn't a creep, and in my absence a real creep had tried to take her away from me.

**Lilly. Was. Mine.**

My whole body started to shake violently. "Stand back," I warned, knowing I was about to lose my skin at any second.

"Embry, calm down," she ordered, taking a step closer to me, sounding a different kind of scared now. Why did she not listen?

"I'm serious Lilly, stand back."

"You're not phasing," she told me firmly, still crying but now without the terrible sobs. "Not with me standing so close."

"That's why you need to get back," I said through my teeth. My body was practically vibrating now.

She took a step even closer to me. "No, that's why you need to _calm down_."

She seriously wasn't going to step back. I had no choice but to try and contain the tremors running through my body.

But how could I calm down when grown men were after _my_ Lilly?

"I'm going to kill him," I whispered through my teeth, eyes closed because I couldn't bear to watch Lilly cry any longer.

"No you aren't."

"He needs to die," I growled.

"He's just a human, Embry! I hate him, but not enough to kill him!"

"He's not human, Lilly," I said in a quiet but furious voice. "He's a monster."

I started to formulate the plan in my mind. I'd go over there once darkness fell and wouldn't try to be sneaky about it. I would kick the goddamned door in and proceed to beat the shit out of him. Once he was beaten and bloodied, I would phase and rip his limbs off one by one, leaving his head for last so he could watch the entire thing.

Why wait until nightfall when I could go right now? I didn't care if someone saw me. It was justified murder… maybe. Either way, it didn't matter.

But Lilly knew me too well. "No, Embry! You can't go over there. Please don't!" She was crying again and I knew I was upsetting her. "Please don't leave. I need you."

Hearing her say those words sent a small tremor through my body, and I was momentarily distracted, because hearing her say those words felt so damn good. But I cleared my head just as quickly. _Of course_ she needed me. She had nearly been_ sexually harassed. _Without another word I pulled her back in to my arms and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Okay, Lilly. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you," I promised, squeezing her gently.

"Why is this happening?" Lilly whispered.

I sighed. "I wish I knew, Love," I said under my breath.

"Hmm?" Lilly glanced up at me.

"Nothing," I replied quickly. Even though it should have been the last thing on my mind, I couldn't deny how much being in Lilly's presence was affecting me. Going three weeks without spending substantial time with her apparently had more effect on me than I'd thought. I didn't want to let Lilly go. I wasn't quite sure if I could. She was in my arms and it was difficult to hide how much I needed her. Now more than ever. We needed each other. She needed me to be her rock through this, and I needed her to not leave me. It didn't even matter if she'd never reciprocate my feelings, I clearly couldn't be away from her.

I'd tried giving her space. And she'd been violated. That. Would. Not. Happen. Again.

"I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you, Embry," she whispered into my shirt. My arms unconsciously tightened around her.

"It's okay, Lilly. We don't have to talk about that right now," I told her, running my fingers through her silky hair.

She rested her chin on my chest and looked up at me with those irresistible navy blue eyes of hers. I was floored by how she could look so fucking beautiful with red eyes and tear stained cheeks. My Lilly was perfect, no matter what happened to her.

New tears gathered in her eyes, and I wanted more than anything to kiss them away. If that wouldn't scare the hell out of her, I probably would have. The last thing she needed today was another grown man coming on to her.

"I _am_ sorry, though. The . . . imprinting thing is just . . . a lot to take in," Lilly said slowly, sounding uncomfortable. She averted her eyes.

"You don't have to explain anything, Lilly."

I could smell her raspberry body wash even through the salty smell of her tears, but the most overpowering scent clinging to her skin was _him_. All over her body. On her arms, on her clothes, on her face, and in her mouth. In. Her. Mouth.

That motherfucker had kissed _my _Lilly. The anger I felt after learning she kissed Travis Newton was _nothing _compared to this.

"Lilly, when you say he, um, tried to—" I couldn't say it out loud. "How, uh, how far did he—?"

"He kissed me. And then I pushed him away and got really angry and tried to walk out. But he stopped me and," she paused, "he had me up against the wall. And then on the floor. He touched me," Lilly's voice cracked. "He didn't get that far, though." I felt my rage returning. Lilly didn't elaborate on where he had touched her, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted her to or not. Knowing might make it harder to keep my word and _not _murder the bastard.

"And how did you get away?"

I listened carefully, trying to maintain a poker face as Lilly described Keith's hand in her pants, and how she'd taken advantage of his distracted state to free herself. I smiled a little when she recounted clawing his face and burning his eyes with hairspray. My imprint didn't go down without a fight.

She continued her story, recalling running into Eliza's old neighbor and getting a ride from her only to find out Eliza wasn't home.

The fact that she had thought to go to Eliza before me stung, but I tried not to dwell on it. It wasn't like we'd been awfully close lately.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do, Embry!" Lilly admitted after she was done telling her story.

"Look, I'm not going to let anything else happen to you, okay? You're the most important person in my life and I'm here for you."

Lilly finally met my eyes again. Her wide eyes were full of admiration and wonder. She was so beautiful. So wonderful. I loved her so much.

And then, even though I wasn't quite sure how, we were kissing.

To be honest, I couldn't say who kissed who. I couldn't even recall the second before our lips met. All I knew is that one moment we were staring at each other and the next moment we were frantically kissing.

The second our lips met became the best moment of my entire existence. How could I have survived for over thirty years without knowing what it felt like to kiss her? Lilly wound her arms around my neck, her entire body pressed against mine in the most endearing way. Oh God, her perfect body. I slid my hands down her back and placed them on her hips, relishing in the feel of her body under my hands. I bent my knees slightly to accommodate for the height difference, and she took advantage of the newfound closeness to deepen the kiss. Or was that me prying her lips open with my tongue? I honestly was too euphoric to have any idea what was going on. What was my name again?

It felt desperate, out of control, crazed. My lips pressed against Lilly's with an almost bruising force and no matter how close I pulled her against me, we weren't close enough. Not nearly close enough. I'd never imagined that mine and Lilly's first kiss would be so frantic, or unexpected, or messy, or as unchaste as this, but I couldn't worry about that now.

_Damn, she is flawless._

I couldn't get enough of her.

I couldn't get enough of my imprint.

My fifteen year old imprint.

_Fuck._

What the hell was I doing?

The realization of what was happening _actually_ hit me and I released Lilly as fast as I possibly could, breaking apart our embrace completely. "God damn it," I muttered, kicking the couch in frustration.

I was supposed to be proving to Lilly that I _wasn't _a creep who was attracted to her. I'd been making progress. I'd been making real progress. Then I'd fucking kissed her and ruined it. I glanced at her face and found her staring at me in complete horrified shock.

* * *

_Lilly_

I was horrified with myself.

What had happened to my plan to act like I was perfectly content with a platonic relationship? He'd said one stupid line about how important I was to him and I'd just lost all sense! I'd kissed him and after he realized what was happening he freaked out! Of course he freaked out! His fifteen year old imprint who he had no romantic feelings for had just embarrassingly thrown herself at him!

And sure, maybe the imprint spirit magic was all gung ho for making out with me, but Embry had a mind of his own, and that mind very clearly had me filed in the friendship folder.

I struggled to find something to say. Something to make everything okay again. Why didn't life just have a rewind button?

"Umm," I pursed my lips together. Embry was pacing back and forth, unable to make eye contact with me.

"Lilly, I'm so sorry—" Embry blurted.

"I have no idea what came over me," I said at the same time.

What was Embry sorry for, I wondered. He was probably about to apologize for letting that go on for more than half a second. I was just a silly girl, after all.

"How about we just . . . pretend that didn't happen," Embry suggested. "I think we're both just a little emotionally overwhelmed right now. Doesn't mean anything."

Even though that was better than Embry yelling at me to get out, hearing him say such a thing made my chest ache. Pretend like the best moment of my entire life hadn't happened? Yeah, that was impossible.

But I couldn't tell _Embry _that. Better to just pretend I'd been struck with some random bout of imprint magic and the whole thing was a fluke.

"Yeah, never happened," I agreed, my heart sinking.

"Great," he smiled.

"Great," I repeated, forcing a smile.

_Kill me._

* * *

**A/N Pt. 2: *Cowers* Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Everything happens for a reason, I don't do things for the sole purpose of causing more suffering, I promise! Hopefully chapter 5 will be up in less than two weeks! I'm already working on it! SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT ON THIS ONE, GUYS! Especially to those of you who reviewed! **


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